


Darhk Canary (Earth 17 Cont.)

by Dragongoddess13



Series: Captain Canary and The Multiverse [4]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012), DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Captain Canary, F/M, Graphic depictions of violence - Freeform, M/M, Multi, Past Child Abuse, Past Torture, Will get dark at times, assassin sara, dark sara, the canary
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-20
Updated: 2019-02-05
Packaged: 2019-10-13 08:48:32
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,901
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17484971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dragongoddess13/pseuds/Dragongoddess13
Summary: Sara's idea of justice had always been kind of radical, just what Damien Darhk was looking for in a left hand. The Canary was deadly, efficient and loyal to the man who pulled her out of the darkness. Everything was perfect, her life not exactly as she planned but better than her prospects after she'd made one mistake too many. And then the Flash happened; he and his team ruining everything she had built for herself. She was imprisoned and put out of mind, that is until the newbie superhero realized he wasn't cut out to play judge, jury and warden.The minute Sara laid eyes on the cocky, goggled face of one Leonard Snart, she knew he was going to be trouble. There was nothing Sara loved more than trouble.Earth 17: Partners in CrimeContinued from Captain Canary and The Multiverse Vol. 1New material begins at Chapter four.





	1. Part I

Earth 17

Partners in Crime

xXx

  


Snart wasn’t a big fan of The Flash. He never had been and probably never would be, but when the young hero asked Snart for his help in transporting dangerous Metas, a grand opportunity presented itself. Trick the speedster, free the metas, and then all those metas would be indebted to him. It was a perfect plan and with Lisa and Mick backing him up he had no doubt it would work out. 

Transport was easy enough, he'd pulled enough smuggling jobs to know he could count on a pretty standard operation. Lisa drove the truck while he and Mick provided security. When the right opportunity presented itself they struck, disabling the truck’s main systems and freeing the prisoners from their specially designed cells. They were grateful to him, some grudgingly so. He had to stop one of them from killing The Flash (just because he had double crossed him, doesn’t mean he was about to go back on their prior agreement) and the rest towed the line, getting out of there as soon as they could. 

Something struck Leonard as odd, however, especially when Barry made no move to stop the prisoners and instead looked almost anxious to see Leonard, Lisa and Mick off. It was Cisco that gave it away; his eyes darting to the opened truck, in what Leonard assumed he thought was a subtle gesture. Lisa seemed to notice as well, and she back tracked to the tailgate, peering inside. 

“One of the cells didn’t open.” she called out to him and he smirked as Barry tensed. “Must have been on a separate system.” she continued. “The windows are tinted too, you can’t see inside.”

“I’m impressed Flash, that’s pretty sneaky even for you.” Leonard told him taking in the clench of his jaw and the hardness in his eyes. Whoever this was truly frightened Barry or else he wouldn’t have taken the extra precautions. It made him pause for a moment considering in all actuality that if this person frightened “The Fastest Man Alive” so badly, perhaps they should walk away and leave them to whatever fate had in store. Of course on the other hand, his curiosity was getting the better of him. He never saw the cell being loaded with the others which meant that they didn’t want him to know it was there. Perhaps, whoever this was, was only a danger to The Flash. 

With that thought, his mind was made up and he gave Mick the signal to short circuit the truck entirely. Barry fliched, ready to take off and stop Mick, but he was still injured from the blow Leonard’s cold gun had dealt so he got about as far as one leg could get him, which wasn’t more than a few steps. 

They heard the cell open with an ominous thunk and not for the first time, Leonard wondered if this was the right decision. The sound of footsteps started moments later; the intentful gate of someone walking with purpose toward the open tailgate. Leonard stepped back, coming into sight of the open doors, Lisa and Mick flanking him on either side. 

What emerged from the shadows what not at all what Leonard had pictured. 

A young woman with long blonde hair, clad in form fitting black leather. Her eyes were a deep blue, highlighted by the black grease pant and domino mask covering her features. Her lips were pouty, her eyes hard and she walked with the kind of threatening power he could only describe as a murderous strut. She came to a stop at the edge of the trailer, her eyes never leaving his as she hopped down, landing solidly on her booted feet. 

“We’re all gonna die.” he heard Cisco mutter to himself and yet again Leonard considered that this might have been a bad idea. He pushed any trepidation aside and stepped toward her. 

“The names Leonard Snart, they call me Captain Cold.” he greeted and he watched curiously as she took in her surroundings, seemingly ignoring him. “My crew and I are the ones who freed you. All I ask in return is a favor at a later date.” he continued not deterred by her disinterest. The last part seemed to grab her attention, and he suddenly found himself somewhat nervous with her dark gaze on him. 

He resisted the urge to back away as she stepped closer until they were toe to toe. She looked up at him and the stern, hard look was gone, this time replaced with an amused smirk. He diverted his thoughts from how beautiful she was up close when she began to speak. 

“How about I let you and your crew live and we’ll call it even?” she counter offered. Leonard could feel the raw power radiating off of her with her body so close to his. His fight or flight instincts were screaming at him to run away; don’t show her your back, don’t show her weakness. She was a deadly predator and he was her prey, caught in her sights and primed for the kill. 

“Seems fair.” he finally replied managing to just barely put out his snarky reply. She smirked and he knew then she could see right through him. She took a step back and gave him a thorough up and down before turning her attention on Barry and his team. Joe and Eddie had their guns drawn pointed right at her and her smirk widened. He had to admit he found it amusing when she winked at them before turning and walking away, no fear that they would shoot her in the back.

When she was gone Barry forced himself to his feet, turning a fierce glare on Leonard. Before he could try to scold him, Lisa interrupted. 

“Who was that?” she asked.

“They call her The Canary.” Caitlin explained. “She was Damien Dahrk’s right hand before we stopped him and his other assassins.” 

“It took everything we had to capture her, and every precaution we could think of to keep her there.” Cisco added rather bitter. Leonard felt a little bad for the kid, they had put him through a lot of crap in the last year, this included. He supposed it might make him feel better to know that Lisa wasn’t just playing him earlier, but he sure as hell wasn’t going to be the one to tell him. 

“Well that’s too bad.” Leonard smirked. “I’m sure it will be impossible the second time around.” he continued rather smugly. 

Leonard could admit he found the young assassin intriguing, though she wasn’t really the type he’d choose to work with for obvious reasons. Perhaps he could make an exception once and see where things went, someone with her skills could be very useful. 

Leonard turned on his heels and began leading his crew away when Barry called out to him.

“Snart!” he exclaimed and Leonard turned slightly to look back at him. “If she kills any innocent people, I’m holding you responsible. You can tell the world whatever you want, but I will take you down.” 

Leonard tossed him a challenging look before turning his back on the speedster and letting a dark scowl grace his features. 

  



	2. Part II

Earth 17 Part II

Partners In Crime

xXx

**_Six Months Later_ **

Leonard jerked away, his survival instincts rousing him from an unusually deep sleep. Seconds passed, his eyes scanning the room until they lighted on a dark figure sitting in the arm chair in the far corner. Reaction took over and he reached for his gun, coming up short when it wasn’t on the end table beside him where he knew he placed it earlier in the night. He looked to the figure again, to the outline of his weapon in the intruder's hands. 

“It’s not really my style.” a familiar voice broke the tense silence. “But I certainly like the way it looks on you. Be honest with me Captain, are compensating for something?”  

It was the Canary. He knew it as sure as he knew himself. She stood from the chair and crossed the room, laying his cold gun back on the table and switching on the bed side lamp. He jerked away from the offending light, squinting up at her angrily. She was in her black leathers, domino mask still in place as with the last time he saw her. “What are you doing here?” 

She smiled at him and had she been anyone else he would have thought it sweet. “I’m here to warn you.” She finally replied perching herself on the edge of the bed beside him. 

“Warn me about what? Have I done something against you?” he asked. 

“On the contrary. It’s with a heavy heart that I have come here to tell you that there’s been a hit placed on you.” 

Leonard tensed as she finished, shifting away from her discreetly. “And let me guess, they hired you to do it.” 

“Very good Mr. Snart. I was in fact approached by a particularly cruel man who has no love loss for you.” she explained with an amused air, as if she found it funny that someone would try to kill him. 

“Who was it?” he asked. 

“Well, I didn’t know at first, to be honest. As long as I get paid I don’t really care to know who my clients are, but when he told me who my target was I did a little research on him. You know, my father wasn’t really father of the year but he loved us and I don’t think even he would stoop to Lewis Snart’s level.” 

“What about Lisa?” he asked without thought for himself. The Canary seemed genuinely happy about that. 

“She is to remain unharmed at any cost.” she told him. “Why do I get the feeling you're the only thing standing in the way of a father daughter reunion?” 

“Because I am.” he grouched, ripping the blankets off of himself and standing from the bed. He paced along the floor beside the bed, the wheels turning in his mind. If his father needed him out of the way than it probably meant he was planning something big and wanted to bring Lisa in on it. Of course his father was all too aware of how impossible that would be if Leonard was around. He’d practically made it a sport to keep Lewis away from Lisa. 

“So, what’s the plan?” The Canary asked stopping Leonard in his tracks. 

“What do you mean?” he asked confused. 

“What was confusing about that question?” she asked amused. “What is the plan for taking care of your father?” she asked again. 

“Why do you care?” he asked suspiciously. 

The Canary smiled. “Despite my bravado a few months ago, I do in fact consider myself in your debt. So, I’ll ask one more time before rescinding the offer. What’s the plan?” 

“I don’t know yet.” he finally replied. “I need to know why he’s so hell bent on getting me out of the way first.” Leonard looked up at her then. “I don’t suppose he got mouthy and told you?”

She shook her head. “But,” she grinned deviously. “I may have a way of finding out.” 

“Oh? Do tell.” he prompted taking a seat on the edge of the bed opposite her. 

“It’s going to involve a bit of a show.” she told him. “From what I hear about you that may be just up your alley.”

Leonard smirked. “I’m listening.”

xXx

“You know how insane this is don’t you?” Lisa asked as her eyes suspiciously tracked the black clad woman working at a table on the other side of the warehouse. 

“It’s a good plan.” Leonard replied. He too was looking at the young blonde woman. He watched as she filled a syringe with a clear liquid from an unlabeled vial. She turned to them when she was finished, placing the plastic cap on the needle. 

“Everybody ready?” she asked. Leonard looked to Lisa, meeting her eyes before turning back to The Canary. 

“Let’s go.” 

xXx

“You’re faking your death?” Barry questioned. 

“That is what I just said.”  Leonard replied. 

“Why? And why exactly do you need my help?” he asked. 

“It’s come to my attention that my father is trying to kill me.” he told him. “Lucky for me the assassin he hired owes me for freeing her a few months back and she’s agreed to help stop him. In fact this was her idea.”

“The Canary?” Barry questioned. Leonard nodded once. “And you trust her? How do you know this isn’t some elaborate scheme to fulfill the hit. I remember what she was like when she was working for Damien Darhk. She liked to play with her victims.” 

“You let me worry about that. For now I just need you to play along.” Leonard told him. 

“And why should I?” Barry asked. He couldn’t think of a single reason why he should After all the trouble Leonard and his crew had put Team Flash through it seemed like Karma that someone was coming after Leonard now. 

“Because if all goes according to plan Lewis will reveal whatever he’s working on that he was so desperate to get rid of me for. I guarantee you, if Lewis gets to put his plan in motion people will get hurt. He’s incapable of doing anything right the first time, and his backup plans always involve killing witnesses.”  

Barry sighed. “Good point.”

xXx

“I don’t like this.” Cisco stated as his eyes tracked the blonde across his monitors. He watched as she stooped beside the body lying on the floor. Captain Cold watched her himself as she knelt beside him setting the scene for his father. 

“Ready?” she asked her voice filtering through speakers of Cisco’s station. 

“As I’ll ever be I suppose.” Leonard replied trying not to flinch as she stuck the needle in his neck. 

“What is she injecting him with?” Lisa asked Caitlin watching The Canary’s every move. 

“Tetrodotoxin.” Caitlin told her. “It’s the toxin in Pufferfish. It simulates death by slowing the heart rate. Anyone just looking for confirmation of death won’t notice the faint pulse.” she explained. 

“And it’s safe?” Lisa tore her eyes from the screens to look at Dr. Snow. Caitlin was taken back by the intense concern in Lisa’s eyes. 

“Leonard asked me to double check the syringe. For his size it’s the right dose. He should be fine. We’re monitoring his vitals and Canary has a com in her ear. If I see anything wrong with his vitals all I have to do is give her the word and she’ll administer a steroid to bring him back.” Caitlin tried to reassure her. “I promise we’re not going to let anything happen to him.” 

“Thank you.” Lisa replied softly. Caitlin nodded, turning back to the screens. Leonard was lying prone on the concrete floor of the warehouse he, Lisa and Mick had set up shop in. They'd left everything as is, making it look like she'd caught him unaware while Mick and Lisa were out on a food run. The area around him had already been set up to coincide with the prosthetic wound across his throat. 

“A van’s just pulled up.” Cisco called out drawing their attentions back to the screens. Cameras had been set up all along the warehouse inside and out, tracking every movement made in the area. The van was large and grey and stopped just along the edge of the warehouse. Having heard Cisco’s warning The Canary retreated to the shadows, keeping up her usual cloak and dagger persona. A few moments later, Lewis entered the warehouse flanked by three other men. 

They watched as Lewis stopped a few feet from his son’s body and sighed. “You’re reputation is well earned.” he called out into the warehouse. 

“Save the compliments for the boastful.” she replied stepping out of the shadows just enough to let them know where she was but not to reveal herself completely. Her voice was distorted by a machine. 

Lewis smirked. “As ruthless as you are efficient. I expected nothing less.” he replied as he pulled out a cell phone. He punched in a few numbers then looked up at her. “The money is in your account my dear.” she nodded before shifting as if she were going to walk away. “Of course,” Lewis called out stopping her. “There’s more money if you’re interested in more work.” he offered. The Canary shifted minutely, giving off an air of interest. “I’m planning something big, as I’ve already hinted. Someone with your skills could be very useful to my endeavor.” 

Canary hesitated for a moment as if stopping to think before; “I don’t think that’s a good idea.” 

“What is she doing?” Barry asked. She’s supposed to get information from him, not turn him down.”

“She can’t seem too eager.” Mick replied. “Lewis isn’t as good as Leonard, but Leonard learned to be suspicious from his father. If she jumps on the chance, he’ll be suspicious of her.”

“Oh, any reason why not?” Lewis asked. 

“I’m not the type of professional who jumps in without all the details, and judging by your cagey behavior so far, you're not the type to disclose all the details.” 

Lewis took a deep breath and smirked. “I’ll make you a deal. Take care of...this.” he gestured to Leonard's body. “And then meet me,” he pulled out a folded piece of paper and set it on the table. “Here, in three hours and I’ll read you in as my second.” he offered. She watched him closely before nodding discreetly. 

Lewis barely spared a second glance at the bloody body of his son before turning and leading the way out of the warehouse. When he was gone a blur of red and gold zipped in through a side door, followed much slower by the rest of the group. Caitlin immediately made her way over to Leonard, Lisa on her heels. She knelt down beside his body and injected him with a steroid. It only took a few seconds for him to take in a deep breath, snapping out of the induced coma. 

“Your father’s a real piece of work, Cap.” The Canary told him as he sat up anxiously, tearing off the prosthetic around his neck. 

“No shit.” Leonard replied. He let Caitlin look him over before getting to his feet. 

“Now what?’  Lisa asked. 

“I go meet him.” Canary replied. “I assume you have a way to discreetly monitor wherever I go.” she directed at Cisco. He nodded. “Good, then I’ll wait for his meet time.”  As if on cue her phone buzzed in her utility belt and she pulled it out. “Change of plans.” she said carefully, squinting at the screen. 

“What do you mean?” Leonard asked. 

Canary sighed. “Looks like Lewis wants a little family reunion.” she looked to Lisa. “He wants me to bring you to him.” 

“No.” Leonard replied just as Lisa replied;

“Okay.” 

“You're not going anywhere near him.” Leonard told him. 

“And how exactly do we explain her showing up without me?”

“You got away.” Leonard replied. Lisa shook her head. 

“She’s a highly trained assassin. I doubt he’d believe that.” Lisa told him. 

“As much as I hate to admit it, she’s right.” Barry added. Leonard glared but before he could say anything The Canary interrupted. 

“If you’re really hell bent on keep her away from him tonight, we could play to his pride and convince him she got away. Of course, that could just convince him to send more people after her. People who aren't as… disciplined.” 

xXx

 Leonard heard a sigh behind him and turned just enough to see The Canary standing a few feet behind him. “I know you have no reason to trust me, but I promise you, I won’t let anything happen to your sister, Captain.” she told him, moving to stand beside him. 

“You have a sister don’t you?” he asked. “You seemed happy that I’d ask about Lisa before worrying about myself the other night.”

The Canary looked away. “I had a sister.” she said. “She’s much better off without me.” she continued. “Everyone is.” she added finally looking at him. 

Leonard watched her before stepping closer. “Not everyone.” 

Canary snorted. “You're just saying that because I didn’t kill you.” 

“Maybe.” he replied. “But you’ve certainly made life a little more interesting this week.”

 


	3. Part III

Earth 17 Part III

Partners In Crime

xXx

Lewis’ meeting place was an abandoned mall on the outskirts of the city. Canary let Lisa dismount first before getting off her bike herself. 

“Where are we supposed to meet him?” Lisa asked. They’d put drops in her eyes to make it look like she had been crying and only just got a hold of herself. 

“There’s a back room in the main department store. He’s set up there.” Canary replied. “Are you ready for this?” she asked as they neared the front entrance. 

_“He’s most likely going to lie to you about what happened. Make it seem like he tried to stop the hit. There’s a variation on a psychological con that fits this scenario.”_ _Canary explained as they prepared to leave Team Flash, Leonard and Mick behind._

_ “How does it go?” Lisa asked.  _

_ “He’ll tell you that he hired me to intercept the hitman and that I failed to get there in time. He’ll act as though he’s angry at me for it, and I’ll go along with it. He’ll then try to convince you to join him, help get revenge on the people who ordered the hit. This is most likely where his larger plan comes into play. Whoever, or whatever he intends to rob will be high profile and most likely something you’ve crossed paths with before. Making it much more likely that you’ll believe they came after Leonard for a past indiscretion.”  _

_ “Anyone you can think of like that?” Flash asked Leonard.  _

_ Leonard scowled. “We don’t have enough time to go through that list. Not to brag but I am a master thief and I’m very good at what I do.”  _

_ “How was that not bragging?” Cisco muttered.  _

_ “We should get going.” Canary spoke up before he could retort. “It’s going to take us a little time to get out of the city.” _

There was a set of four large crates at the center of the back room, plastic construction sheeting hung from the bared rafters. 

“Lisa, sweetheart.” Lewis’ voice sounded behind them and they turned to find said main stepping out of the shadows. “I’m so sorry, kid.” he continued. Canary had to give her credit, she certainly knew how to suppress her disgust. 

“What happened?” Lisa asked, playing the distraught sister well. She gestured to Canary. “She wouldn’t tell me anything.” 

“No I can’t imagine she would want to be the one to explain her own failure.” Lewis scowled. Lisa looked back at her. How could one man be so predictable? “I sent The Canary there, supposedly the best in her field, to protect Leonard and she failed. The hitman got the better of her and I’m sorry to say Leonard too.” 

“Who? Who did this?” she demanded. “Who killed Lenny?” 

Lewis sighed. “Someone inside Kord Industries.” he explained. “I don’t know exactly who, only that they were angry about Leo stealing a prototype of some kind last year.” 

Realization crossed her face. “A microchip.” she said. “He used it to customize his cold gun.” 

“Yes, well, apparently it cost them a lucrative contract.” Lewis explained. 

“So what’s the plan?” Canary finally spoke up. 

“We are going to go in there and tear the place apart. We’ll take what we can to cripple their operations and while we’re in there we’ll snoop around for a list of people who worked on the project. We’ll figure out who killed Leo and have a nice payday lined up to kick start an operation against them.” Lewis paused, mostly for effect. “Are you in?” 

Lisa hesitated, then; “Yeah, I’m in.” 

xXx

The plan was pretty simple and for once, everything went right. Lewis was a disaster on a good day but he seemed to have upped his game for this one. Whatever his real plan was it must have been pretty important for him to take so many extra precautions. Canary stayed close to Lisa per Lewis’ orders. He wanted his daughter “protected” though Canary was certain he was more interested in having someone close by who could take her out if she turned on him. 

In the meantime, Leonard and Mick had already broken in ahead of them, positioning themselves for maximum effect when the time came to take Lewis down. The Flash was also ready to move in. 

They had worked their way down the levels, taking what they could until they finally reached the lab that Leonard had burglarized the year before. 

“Alright,” he directed toward one of his men. “Get on there, see what you can find.” Lewis turned away for only a second before the man who sat down at the computer screamed in pain. He whipped back around watching as melted gold coated his hands, sticking them to the desk. Lewis glared enraged, giving what Canary assumed was the go ahead to take out Lisa. she drew a blade from her belt but turned on him instead.

“What are you doing?” he demanded backing toward the door. His answer was a sheet of ice blocking his escape. 

“Turnabout is fair play,  _ dad _ .” Leonard sneered and Lewis turned to watch his son stalk out of the shadows on the opposite side of the room. Mick right behind him. 

“That’s true.” he replied, looking for an escape. 

“Your boxed in Lewis. Give up and you may have a chance to see the light of day again.” the distorted voice of the Flash sounded as he slid to a stop. 

Lewis scowled. “Workin’ with heroes now, Leo? Never thought you’d stoop so low.” 

“What can I say, Lewis, you bring out the worst in me?” 

“Give yourself a little more credit, kid.” he replied. 

All at once the scene changed. Lewis pulled a grenade from his jacket and Canary reacted, pulling Lisa off her feet and into Leonard, knocking them both to the ground and covering them. Seconds later it ignited, a deafening blast shattering every glass window and partition in the lab. 

“Are you alright?” Canary questioned. Leonard looked up from where he was checking on Lisa. 

“We’re fine.” he told her and without a second thought she was on her feet running after Lewis. 

xXx

“Great we lost Lewis, we lost Canary. This literally couldn’t have gone any worse.” Flash complained leading the way out of the building. 

“We could all be dead.” Lisa sighed. “On the bright side, if The Canary went after Lewis she’ll more than likely catch him.”

Cisco’s voice rang out through the coms. “She definitely found him.” 

“What does that mean?” Flash questioned in a tone that said he didn’t really want an answer. 

“Lisa, go with Mick back to the safehouse. Our location has been compromised, we need to move.” Leonard ordered. Lisa hesitated, looking up at him. In the end she didn’t argue though. 

“Which way, Cisco?” Flash asked when they were gone. 

“Other side of the building, in the courtyard.” 

Leonard led the way, stopping short just inside. 

“Fuck.” Flash breathed, as they began walking forward again. “What the hell is this?” 

Lewis was dead, there was no doubt about that, blood dripping down his outstretched arms. He was hanging upside down, tied to the art fixture in the courtyard fountain by one foot. The expression on his face was calmer than Leonard could ever remember seeing him. 

“The hanged-man.” Leonard finally said. “A symbol of self-sacrifice in Major Arcana.” 

“Self-sacrifice? He didn’t put himself up there.” Flash replied. When Leonard didn’t reply, didn’t look away from his father’s dead body he continued; “What exactly is he sacrificing himself for?” 

“His daughter’s freedom.” 

xXx

_   “I need to ask you for a favor.” Leonard whispered moving closer to her across the catwalk. “When this is over I want you to kill Lewis. Can you do that?”  _

_ “Of course I can, but that doesn’t mean that I should.” she replied her voice just as low. “You don’t come back from something like that Leonard. Whether you pulled the trigger or not, it haunts you.”  _

_ “I can’t take the risk that he’ll come after Lisa again. If Flash gets his way, they’ll send him back to Ironheights. But he has associates, they’ll break him out and he’ll be right back at it, and next time he’ll know better than to call on you for help. And who knows if I’ll see them coming, if Lisa will, if Mick will.” he looked away. “I spent most of my life protecting her, raising her. She didn’t get a childhood because of him, always afraid, always hungry; he broke her heart. I’ll be damned if he gets to take anything else from her.”  _

_ The Canary sighed. “Alright, but I’m going to have to insist on payment for this one. My generosity is almost maxed out.”  _

_ “Name your price.”  _

_ “A favor.” she didn’t hesitate. “To be cashed in at a later date.”  _

_ Leonard smirked at her turnabout. “Deal.”   _ __


	4. Part IV

Earth 17 Part IV

Partners In Crime

xXx

3 Months Later

He was being followed, of that he was certain. Whoever it was was either a professional, or stupid, because there was no way in hell anyone in between would be dumb enough to stalk him in his own neighborhood in the middle of the afternoon. Whoever they were they were getting on his nerves, he was just trying to enjoy a leisurely stroll to pick up supplies for the safehouse, he didn’t really want to have to ditch a tail. 

He decided to do something about it a block later. There was alleyway between the drug store and a closed tailor shop. When he neared it, he ducked in, pressing his back against one wall and waiting for his shadow to breach the mouth of the alley. When they made it to the lip, he lashed out, grabbing them and slamming them back against the wall. Before he could get a good look at them, he found himself thrown off balance, their positions reverse. 

The young woman, fully pressed against him, was nearly a head shorter than he was and yet he couldn’t seem to break her hold on him. One arm held him down across his clavicles and the other held his arm down before he could reach for the weapon at the back waistband of his pants. Piercing blue eyes and a familiar smirk stared up at him, framed by long blonde hair. 

“Mmm,” she hummed pleased. “Definitely not compensating.” 

Leonard took in a sharp breath as she pressed her hips forward ever so slightly. “Canary.” he breathed. 

“The one and only.” she replied. 

“And to what do I owe the pleasure?” he asked. She grinned, stepping back and releasing him. 

“I came to cash in my favor.” she told him.

“Is that right?” he questioned, righting himself. “Well, I’m all ears.” 

“A friend and I need a place to lay low for awhile. There are some nasty people after us and the way I figure it, no one would think to look for either of us here with you.”  

“Makes sense. Should I send my sister out of town to keep her out of the crossfire though?”

Canary shrugged. “That’s up to you. I’m hoping we won’t be on the run for very much longer.” 

Leonard simply nodded. “Fair enough.” he pulled a scrap of paper out of his pocket and jotted something down. He handed it to her when he was finished. “I’ll stay in tonight. Come when your ready.” 

With that, he got back on track back in the direction he had been headed. 

xXx

“I understand that we owe her, I really do, but are you sure you want to do this?” Lisa asked as she helped Leonard pull blankets and pillows out of storage, then cart them up to the guest rooms. “I mean, Cisco kinda filled me in on her history and she’s ruthless. She’s violent and dark and bloody and she’s killed a lot of people by their estimation.” 

“Did you by any chance ask Ramon for a list of names of her victims?” Leonard questioned, making the bed. 

“No, why?” 

“I think if you see exactly who she was sent to kill, you’d see there was more to her than Flash’s limited world view will allow.” 

“So you’ve looked into her then?” Lisa asked. 

“After she killed Lewis I was intrigued by her method of leaving the body the way she did, so I looked into her to see if there were any patterns.”

“And there were?” 

Leonard nodded, but said nothing. 

“Well, are you going to tell me?” 

Before Leonard could reply a knock sounded at the front door. “The file is in the bottom drawer of my desk in the office.” he told her, walking passed her and heading downstairs. 

It was around eight, the sun had set only a few minutes before and Leonard supposed Sara had waited until dark for a reason. He opened the door, aware of Lisa’s presence behind him as he did so, to find Canary standing on the front porch. He froze however, when he saw the small body in her arms. A young brunette in a red pea coat, white stockings, ripped and dirtied and scuffed patent black shoes, had her arms around Canary’s neck, her face buried in the front of her leather jacket.  

Leonard noticed the black duffle bag and child sized pink suitcase at her feet, as well as a large brown paper bag with grease stains sitting on the duffle bag. 

“Hey.” she greeted, drawing him out of his thoughts. 

“Hey.” he replied, stepping over the threshold to grab the bags at her feet. 

“Thanks.” she muttered as she followed him inside. Lisa closed and locked the door behind them. There was an awkward silence that descended on them. 

“I brought food. Big Belly Burger.” she eventually broke the tension. 

“Thanks.” Leonard replied, he’d set the bag on the coffee table in the living room. 

Canary sighed. “I’m sorry, this probably isn’t what you were expecting.” 

“Not even a little bit.” Lisa replied. 

Canary huffed a laugh and moved toward the sofa, kneeling down in front of it, and working on convincing the little girl to let her go and sit on the couch. She eventually did, sitting hunched over on the edge, her face down turned, but not nearly enough for either of them to miss the bruise on her cheek. 

“Hey sweetie.” Canary spoke softly, gently rubbing at her arms. “We’re here now, you’re safe okay.” the little girl nodded. “You ready to try to eat something now?” she nodded again, this time looking up and catching sight of Leonard and Lisa. “These are friends of mine. This is Leonard and Lisa. This is their house.” 

“Thank you for letting us stay with you.” she spoke softly, still a little nervous. 

“You’re quite welcome.” Leonard replied. 

Lisa smiled at her and reach over for the bag of food. “Why don’t I set the table while you guys get settled?” 

“Thank you.” Canary replied and Lisa was taken back by the earnestness in her expression. 

When she was gone, Leonard turned back to the pair, watching as Canary gently coaxed her out of her coat. Now that she wasn’t clinging to Canary, Leonard could see her clothing was dirty and torn in some places. Her long brunette hair was pulled back in a bun and a little greasy. Her clothing was expensive and well tailored for her, but she looked as though she had been lost in the woods for days or locked up somewhere and forgotten about. 

“So what do you say we go eat and then we’ll go upstairs and take a bath and then go to bed, huh?” Sara asked, her voice gentle. It was not the voice of a woman who killed for a living. 

The little girl nodded and Canary helped her to her feet, guiding her off in the direction Lisa had gone. Leonard watched fascinated as the cold, calculating killer tended to this little girl, her eyes filled with love for her. 

When they were done eating, Leonard took them upstairs and showed them where everything was, before leaving them to do what they needed to. 

xXx

Lisa had gone to the office not long before Canary joined him in the living room, collapsing on the sofa with a sigh of the truly exhausted. It was strange seeing her this way. Knowing what she was capable of but seeing her look so human in this moment. 

“Who is she?” Leonard asked. 

“Her name is Nora.” Canary replied, she was slouched down, her head resting against the back and her eyes tracing the lines of cracked plaster in the ceiling. “She’s Damien Darhk’s daughter.” she continued. 

“Why isn’t she with him?” he asked. “Surely if someone took his daughter, if people are after her, he can protect her better than we can here.” 

Canary shook her head. “He’s in hiding.” she explained. “He took a fatal hit in that final fight with The Flash. One of the other’s just barely managed to get away with his body, before Flash’s team descended on it.” 

“He’s in hiding… but he’s dead?” Leonard sounded skeptical. 

Canary smirked. “Damien is a lot older than he looks. Death doesn’t really stick.” she explained. “He’s in hiding recovering. There was a plan to protect Nora when something like this eventually happened, but it backfired.”

Leonard took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. He stood, disappearing into the adjacent kitchen and returning with two beer bottles. He handed one to her and reclaimed his seat. “I think you should tell me everything. Leave nothing out. We need to make sure we’re fully prepared here.” 

“Damien sustains his life with a mixture of water he stole from the Lazarus pit and the magic of dark artifacts. Because of that, Nora has an innate talent for magic, a talent that makes her very desirable for a particular magic cult. Damien has a lot of enemies, he’s lived his life a certain way, so there’s always a chance that he could be killed and would need to be taken into hiding to be resurrected. So he created a plan to make sure that Nora would be kept safe while he was gone. Her mother was killed by one of his enemies and he’s been very protective of her ever since. I’ve acted as personal security for on multiple occasions. 

On top of that, Damien knew about the cult, they’d made overtures to him, trying to convince him to let them train her to use her magic. He always turned them down. He said he’d been alive long enough to know better than to trust a cult of any kind. 

So the plan was basically that a signal would be sent out to two members of Damien’s organization. Those two members would take her to one of Damien’s other properties where they would wait for him to retrieve her.”

“What went wrong?” Leonard asked. 

“The cult found them and the two guards were paid off to turn Nora over to them. After I got done helping you I went to find them. I had missed the cult taking her by days. It took me three months to find her and extract her, and there was a serious fight to get her out. I only just got her back last night, I drove all night to make sure they weren’t following us and then headed here.” 

“I’m almost afraid to ask, but what did they do to her?” 

Canary looked pained. “I don’t know for sure. I’m not versed in magic at all. Only basic knowledge and terminology from past missions. I can’t ask her, I can’t make her relive that.” 

“Can’t blame you there. How long until Darhk returns?” 

“I don’t know. He once told me it all depended on the way he died and how long it took our people to get his body where it needed to be.” she shook her head. “He’s been gone for a little over a year now.” 

“How is she handling it?” 

“Not well. She’s very close to him. She’s scared and nothing is going to make her feel safe again except him.” 

“Well, we’ll just have to see to it that she’s okay until he shows up.” Leonard replied, leaning back in his seat. Canary finally looked over at him, taking him in for the first time in three months. He didn’t look much different than before. Still in his dark clothes, his hair closely shaved, face impassive. 

“Thank you.” she finally spoke up. He met her eye. “I know this isn’t what you were expecting this morning.”

“Not really, but I’m not going to hold it against you.” he smirked. She huffed, shaking her head. 

“Gee, thanks.” she laughed.    

xXx

Nora woke the next morning, while the sun was still down, crying and screaming for her father. Leonard got up on instinct, the same way he would when Lisa was little. Canary was already there, cradling her and whispering soothingly to her, trying to calm her down. It took quite awhile, but it eventually worked and she drifted back into a restless sleep, this time with Canary by her side. Leonard returned to bed himself and got a few more hours of sleep, before eventually waking, getting ready for the day and going downstairs to make breakfast. 

Canary and Nora joined him not long after. Lisa, never the morning person would come down on her own time. Leonard greeted them with a muttered good morning over his shoulder from the stove, and listened as Canary moved around behind him. It was mostly quiet and Leonard was sure if it hadn’t been he would have missed Nora’s little voice all together. 

“Excuse me Mr. Leonard.” he looked down to find her standing beside him, looking up at him. Now that she was cleaned up, she looked much better, even the bruise on her cheek wasn’t nearly as harsh. “I’m sorry I woke you up this morning.” she told him. 

Leonard smiled softly, one of those smiles the Flash could never  _ ever  _ know he was capable of, and knelt down to her level. “You have nothing to apologize for. The nightmares will get better, I promise.” 

She smiled sadly, like she didn’t quite believe him and nodded, then walked over to Canary, who was pouring her a glass of orange juice. Canary picked her up and set her on one of the chairs, then set the glass in front of her. Leonard finished breakfast not long after and they all sat down to eat.

“So, what’s the plan today?” Leonard asked them. 

“It’s been an eventful few days, I think it would be best if we stayed in and tried to rest, what do you think, Nor?” Canary asked her. 

She nodded. “I want to read the new book you bought me.” 

Canary smiled reaching over to wipe a little syrup off her cheek. 

It was hard to imagine the woman he’d met nine months ago, the woman who killed his father for him, as the maternal type, and yet here she was, so tender and soft spoken, caring for this little girl who had clearly been through so much. It was almost fascinating, to see the woman he was sure the Canary had once been shining through just for this little girl. 

Leonard had gotten the impression the previous morning that he knew Canary. She looked familiar, and not in a way that all pretty, petite young blonde women looked. There was something about her that itched at a memory, something vague and years passed, but there nonetheless. When he’d gotten back to the safehouse later that morning, he’d set to work trying to figure out who she was. 

The minute he’d thought of Starling City, it had all clicked. 

Sara Lance had barely been twenty years old when she boarded the Queen’s Gambit with her sister’s boyfriend. Days later the ship went down in a storm in the South China sea. The world was on hold for the search, the CEO of Queen Consolidated, his heir and the daughter of Starling City’s Chief of Police all missing. Of the twenty crew members, only seven were recovered after the ship went down and the Queens and Sara were nowhere in sight. 

Two months later, after the official search had been called off, Malcolm Merlyn, a long time friend of the Queens and the Lances set out in secret to search for them, hoping to find them, but not wanting to create false hope in case he didn’t. Two weeks after that he returned with Sara Lance, bruised and beaten, malnourished and dehydrated. Malcolm claimed she had been picked up by the crew of a foreign freighter who were days away from selling her to a trafficking ring in Hong Kong. He’d managed to convince them to put up a ransom, paid it, and got her back. 

Sara seemed determined to stay out of the public eye, so within a week or two the story had shifted to the still missing Queen men and the whole world forgot she’d even been there. A fact he was sure she was just fine with. 

Five years later, two years ago, Oliver Queen was discovered on an uncharted island in the South Pacific, picked up by a passing military vessel running drills. Robert Queen, According to Oliver, had not survived the initial sinking.   

How Sara had ended up an assassin, he had no idea, but clearly there was more to her than The Flash and his team allowed themselves to believe. 

When they were done with breakfast, Nora thanked him and then ran off. Sara gathered up the dishes, insisting that he cooked so she would clean them up. He didn’t argue, but he did stick around while she washed up. 

“Can I ask you a personal question?” he spoke up, watching her back from his seat at the table. A cup of coffee sat between his hands and he fiddled with it while he observed her. 

“You can ask, that doesn’t mean I’ll answer.” she replied. 

Leonard smirked. “Fair enough.” he said. “So, how exactly does the daughter of the Chief of Police of a major city grow up to become a ruthless assassin?” 

Her movements never stuttered, but he did watch her as the line of her shoulders tensed. “So you did recognize me. I wasn’t sure.” 

“You seemed familiar, so I did a little digging.” he explained. 

“I see.” she said, finished the last dish. She set it in the drain board and turned to face him, leaning back against the counter and drying her hands on a dish towel. “It’s kind of a long story.” 

“Well you can skip the part about being rescued. I think at this point everyone knows about that.” he told her. 

She huffed a humorless laugh, looking away to fold the towel before returning to her spot. “No, they don’t. No one knows anything about that.” she pushed off the counter and walked out, leaving Leonard alone at the table. 

xXx

Leonard kind of felt like an ass, which was weird for him because he didn’t usually feel guilt for hurting people that weren’t his sister or Mick. That being said, he supposed Sara was a little different than most people. In a way she one of them, she’d cemented his respect the minute she turned on Lewis, and gained a semblance of his trust when she went out of her way to protect Lisa from him, but at the end of the day she belonged to a different organization, an organization that had no qualms about killing, even if their victims deserved it. 

That was what he had been hinting at when he instructed Lisa to look a little deeper. While he was sure Barry was aware, deep down, that the world was not black and white, he certainly didn’t act like it, especially when it pertained to Damien Darhk’s left hand; his archangel. Leonard didn’t pretend to have all the answers, he was only one man after all, and human at that, but a man like Damien Darhk who sent his people after mafia kingpins, warlords, dictators and their underlings wasn’t a man who killed for sport; or taught anyone else to kill for sport. Any enjoyment they’d claimed to witness Sara get out of it was undoubtedly in the delivery of her own brand of justice. 

The case that had gotten Barry’s attention was, ironically enough, the assassination of a scientist at Kord industries. The scientist, an expert in botany was found bound to his desk chair, a gas mask secured to his face, his eyes bulging and his skin a mottled mixture of grey and purple. Autopsy would later show that he suffocated on a toxic chemical derived from plant spores. A toxin he had created in secret. 

The toxic gas was later linked to another case in South America, the mass murder of an entire village of innocent men, women, and children, the family members of a militia that were standing between an oil baron’s new pipeline and the land the village sat on. The scientist had sold the toxin to a third party, who then sold it to the head of security for the oil baron’s company. 

More digging in the months after the scientists death found more chemical compounds, forty percent of which could be linked to political assassinations, mass murders and terrorist attacks all over the world. 

One would think The Flash would be grateful that a dangerous human being was taken out of commision once and for all, but no, the murderer was just as bad as the scientist himself and he went full force against The Canary, eventually finding himself in way over his head as usual. 

How they managed to kill Darhk (temporarily or otherwise) and capture one of his most trusted agents, Leonard would never know. Probably blind luck, but the point was, Barry was out of his league and his blind optimism and determination to see only the potential for good in people was going to be his downfall one day.  There would be no rest for him if he continued to follow the letter of the law so closely. He would run himself into the ground, forsake a real life if he continued to live as though his way was the only way. 

People like Darhk, like Sara would always exist. If not in Central City than in other cities around the world. Living in the shadows, in the underground. It was foolish to think anyone could stop it. 

Leonard found Sara on the sunporch at the back of the house. He’d come out here with every intention of apologizing to her for his own presumptions earlier, but as he caught sight of her, he stopped short. Dressed in a black sports bra and yoga pants, he watched as she stretched and twisted her way through one complicated pose after another. At some point he realized he was staring, probably around the time she turned to face him and smirked. He opened his mouth to… he supposed defend himself, but couldn’t find the words and gave up. 

“I came to apologize.” he told her as, in one graceful movement she sat on the floor, crossing her legs. 

“Yeah, I could tell by the way you were staring at my ass.” she teased. 

Leonard smirked. It was a nice sight, in leathers or yoga pants. He didn’t get the chance to reply as Nora appeared, stepping around him smoothly. She had a book in her hands as she walked up to Canary and settled into the space between her crossed legs. 

“You like that one?” Sara asked, smoothing Nora’s hair out of her face. Nora nodded. 

“It says it’s part of a series.” she replied. 

“Well, when you finish that one, we’ll go get the next one, okay?” 

Nora nodded again, picking up her book and beginning to read. Sara smiled, straightening her back and releasing a slow breath to begin meditating. 

And there it was again. The complete juxtaposition of the deadliest assassin he’d ever come across, playing chair to a five year old while she read. It was fascinating and yet so strange. He wished Barry were here to see this. To see the woman he was afraid of acting motherly. 

“Something wrong Leonard?” Sara’s voice pulled him from his thought. He realized he had been staring again and now both girls were looking up at him. 

“No. Let me know when you want to take her out, I’ll back you up.” he told her, turning to leave. He caught Sara’s smirk out of the corner of his eye, just as Nora replied;

“Thank you Mister Leonard.” 


End file.
